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The beluga known as Jelly Bean’s daughter Bertie is an charming small “ham sandwich”. The whale Orion – called “Onion” – is a sizeable but guardian-like friend. Another whale, Zephyr has “ants in his pants” and wiggles like a wiggly creature. Lillooet is the “loving presence” with a gentle spirit.

Thirty enclosed marine mammals in a Canada-based entertainment facility have been entangled in a tussle between a shuttered park, government authorities and advocacy groups.

But those closest to the whales say the heated discussion over their destiny often overlooks the complexities of the whales who, after spending their lives in captivity, have been thoroughly researched by the caretakers who interact with them daily.

After the Canadian government blocked the sale of the belugas to China, the struggling facility near Niagara Falls where they are held warned to end their lives unless the federal government covers the upkeep of their care. Canada’s marine resources official has refused that ultimatum, placing the thirty whales in an dangerously unstable position.

Highly Cognitive Sea Creatures

Scientists say that belugas’ neural makeup, along with their sound replication, cognitive challenges and group interactions point to they are highly cognitive mammals – something one caretaker observed personally.

Burgess spent three years as a marine mammal specialist, a role that required earning the trust of the aquatic animals.

“Developing those bonds over time takes a lot of consistency and a lot of affection. At the outset, they’re very wary of you,” she said. “In time, you gain reciprocal understanding. And they start being more vulnerable with you. It’s just so wonderful and rewarding.”

Burgess knew the whales were highly intelligent, but she says she was nevertheless surprised by the nuances and unique traits in their characters. She developed a deep bond for Eve and Cleopatra with opposing personalities.

“One whale chose me. The other demanded work,” she said. “Each altered the way I understand bonding.”

Growing Opposition and Facility Decline

Burgess’s relationship with the whales progressed against a background of rising activist criticism to their confinement.

During her three years at the attraction, seven belugas and the park’s one orca, the orca, passed away. In all, nineteen belugas have perished at the park since recent years, a statistic which the park links to age-related causes, but which campaigners say reflects the substandard environment in which they were housed.

The facility did not operate to the guests over the recent season, but the former trainer says she saw with her own eyes results of the closure. “Concrete is breaking off from the tanks because they’re falling apart and not being fixed. The whales are curious and so they take pieces and swim around with chunks in their jaws. It’s distressing to see.”

The facility did not respond to a questionnaire, but in the past claimed: “The whales … obtain far better medical attention and constant supervision than any individual in the UK, or other places.”

Uncertain Future and Potential Resolutions

The former employee was terminated from the facility in recent months following the death of Eos, an ailing beluga the employees had to humanely kill. She said the facility thought particulars of the incident were leaked to the news outlets and she was fired not long after.

The lack of clarity over the whales’ outcome has left her and current and former trainers in despair. She says the facility’s threat to kill its whales is a leverage tool and is a “logistically impossible” undertaking, adding any attempts to put down even a single beluga would require “significant personnel”, equipment and machinery.

“It cannot happen in hell the employees would ever do it,” she said.

Burgess supports requests for the whales to be removed immediately from the park, with its deteriorating pools and shrinking team.

In the autumn, Canada’s fisheries minister turned down a bid to export the whales to China.

“Granting the request would have meant a perpetual existence in enclosure and a return to performance for audiences,” the minister commented. “As the public, we know that whales belong in the sea, not in enclosures for our amusement. I could not in ethical standing permit an export that would perpetuate the treatment these belugas have suffered.”

But Burgess said the minister’s statements indicate a more general misunderstanding of the facts of existence for belugas living their whole lives in enclosures.

“The public needs to realize these are whales that have lived entirely in enclosed habitats and they will need ongoing assistance for the foreseeable future,” she said. “Many just don’t comprehend that it’s not as easy as saying ‘shut it down’.”

Alternative Habitat and Continuing Discussion

As authorities attempt to find a answer, suggestions have surfaced, some of which have little basis in reality. One proposal called for the belugas to be freed into the natural habitat of the Arctic – where whales are a key source of nourishment for local populations.

A suggested protected area in the region of eastern Canada, which has received regulatory clearance, has proven most controversial. The prospective location, which includes extensive space of protected cove, remains undeveloped. Advocates remain optimistic that it could ultimately represent a long term solution for a number of the whales.

But, Burgess says, among caretakers she’s discussed with, there is “skepticism there” about what she said is “simply an untested concept” in the whales’ well-being.

Some experts say the prospect of a sanctuary represents a broader global shift away from captive facilities and could represent a feasible plan in the coming months.

The project lead, head of the plan, said the site will replicate the mental engagement and diet the whales obtain from caretakers, albeit in a much larger environment. He said after the well-being of whales is completely examined, which could take months|an extended period|